The customer had made her way over to the soy candle display and was smelling each one.
“Those candles are amazing. My favorite one is called ‘fallen leaves.’” Hannah walked over and stood next to the woman. She picked up a three-wick candle in an orange jar. “Wow, this matches your coat perfectly. Here, smell it.” She handed over the candle.
The woman took a deep sniff of it. “Oh, that is good,” she said. “Maybe I’ll get that one too. But what I’m looking for is one that smells like pumpkin, but not like a jack-o’-lantern, like pumpkin bread or pumpkin pie.”
Hannah smiled and nodded. “I got you.” She moved a few jars around and found the one she was looking for. “Give this a smell; it’s called pumpkin streusel.”
The woman took the candle. Hannah noticed her hands were free of rings. Most women she met at the shop, especially older ones who looked like they were grandmothers and made amean beef stew, typically wore jewelry. She continued to shuffle through her mind, trying to place her.
Once she was done smelling the candle, she hugged it to her chest. Hannah couldn’t help but notice that her eyes looked glossy. Smells were a powerful way to evoke memories. “Are you okay?” she asked as she touched the woman’s cuff. Then it hit her; this was the lady with the delightful Scottish Terrier she’d given a reading to last week. Hannah could remember that the woman had asked if her dog was going to get everything he wanted for Christmas. Hannah remembered the question because this woman was one of the few people who’d asked a question as if it were their pet asking and not a question for themselves. If only she could remember this woman’s name.
The woman sniffed. “It’s the time of year when I think about someone. This candle is perfect. I’ve been meaning to come in here for ages, but this is my first time. The shop is very cute.”
Hannah grinned. “Welcome to New Age Stones and Witch Crafts. I’m glad you could make it in. Most of what you see in here is sourced from local artisans.”
“That’s amazing.” The woman’s face brightened. “I said that I’d come in after you did the card reading for Munchie last week, and I’m so glad I found time to come in today. I should have come here sooner! I see you have scarves and sweaters, and look, you even have eyeglass chains! She pointed to a stand of beaded chains, necklaces, and earrings.”
“We also have beaded lanyards; do you need anything like that for work, perhaps?” Over the summer, Hannah had insisted that Zaina start stocking lanyards after she’d noticed how often she saw people out during the weekday with a work badge around their necks.
The woman shook her head. “I work from home. I’m a writer.”
“That’s so cool! What do you write?”
“Romance books.”
“That’s amazing! I had no idea there was a romance author right here in Marley Creek. I should get one of your books—are they at Books and Breads?”
The woman nodded.
“Cool! I will have to check them out! I’m embarrassed to say I don’t remember your name.”
“My name is Cathy, but my pen name is Maxim La Letizia.”
“Your pen name is beautiful. I love it.” She held up a finger and ran over to the counter. She kept a little box of her business cards there. Hannah pulled one out, brought it over, and handed it to Cathy.
Cathy put on her reading glasses. “Now, that’s a coincidence. We have the same fictional first name.”
“Isn’t that wild?”
Cathy nodded absently, still reading the card. “I haven’t had a reading in years.”
Hannah’s pulse sped up and her palms began to sweat. “W-would you like one? Right now, the three-card spread is discounted.”
Cathy tilted her head. Hannah held her breath as she waited for the answer. She was excited at the prospect of her first reading of someone she didn’t know. She hoped reading strangers would prove easier than when she’d practiced on friends.
“Sure, I’m game. You’re not going to tell me anything bad, are you?”
Hannah’s stomach churned.You can do this, focus on the cards, not your gut.
“It’s all about how the cards answer the question you ask.”
Cathy slowly nodded her head. “Ack, the pressure to ask a good question!”
“You have time. I need to get my cards. Follow me.”
Hannah led Cathy to the reading nook next to the tea station. There were two upholstered chairs and a small round coffee table centered on a fluffy cream-colored rug. “Make yourself comfortable,” she said.
Cathy sat down in the orange chair. Hannah walked to the counter, got her bag, and returned to Cathy. She sat down and took out her deck. Cathy took cash out of her wallet for the reading and placed it on the table.
